Mongrels

That meerkat ad has a lot to answer for: here we have an adult puppet show in which one of the main characters (a cat) has an almost identical accent. What those meerkats don't do is rob little old ladies, defraud celebrities or swear their furry little heads off, which is what the parade of animal puppets indulge in here. The sterling cast includes Katy Brand voicing a cynical pigeon and tonight's 'special guest', Toby Anstis. Utterly stupid but very funny.

Thin and crude it might be but this new, adult animal puppet comedy has its moments. Hanging out by the bins of an urban pub are Nelson, a metrosexual fox with a penchant for online dating, a pedigree "It-bitch" called Destiny, Kali the cynical pigeon and Marion, a tomcat who is threatened with the snip.

Puppets, sex and Paul Kaye: The birth of Mongrels

When asked to describe Mongrels, as I often am by bemused people at parties who've been told I work 'with puppets' and who are humouring me, I normally say, "It's an adult puppet comedy show."

After Chandi the dancing dog on Britain's Got Talent, there's some Strictly Dog Dancing on display in this fresh, new eight-part comedy series about the secret life of animals. Well, puppet animals anyway. My favourite is Nelson, the suave fox who falls in love with a chicken he meets online.

But there's also Destiny, an afghan with a crush on a bad-boy hound she meets at obedience classes. And fat cat Marion, who sounds like Puss from Shrek 2 and is working a scam to fleece old ladies of their savings.

The puppetry and the voices are brilliantly executed and there are some great gags, including a fox's take on Only Fools And Horses.

While most of it is very funny, some of the gags about Harold Shipman and 9/11 completely misjudge the tone. Maybe the age group BBC3 is aimed at reckon anything is fair game for comedy. Have a word please, someone.

Watch a fox take advantage of Toby Anstis

So, tonight's the night! Mongrels starts on BBC Three at 10pm.

Mongrels: new BBC Three comedy is a shaggy dog story

Michael Hogan on how a risque new BBC Three comedy is trying to do for puppetry 'what The Simpsons did for animation'.

Meet the Mongrels

Take a good look at the rabble below. As of next week, this bunch of urban strays are going to do be doing for puppet animals what South Park did for cartoon schoolkids.

Family Guy-style puppet comedy heads to BBC3

BBC3 has commissioned an adult puppet comedy pitched as "Avenue Q meets Family Guy".